Fight the "Three Summers" to ensure a good harvest丨The wheat harvest happened to encounter "bad rain", how to "grab" food in the rain?

(Original title: [Smart Farmers] Interview with wheat experts: Wheat harvest is hit by “bad rain”, how to “grab” grain in the rain?)

Currently, wheat is gradually entering the concentrated harvest period across the country. Since the end of May, Henan has experienced widespread rainfall, which has had a significant impact on the local wheat harvest and has attracted widespread attention.

How is the local wheat harvest going at present? How to deal with the "rain that rots the field" scientifically? How should other regions take early precautions and deal with them scientifically? Zhao Guangcai, a researcher at the Institute of Crop Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and a member of the wheat expert guidance group of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, gave answers to these questions.

Q: How is the wheat harvest in Henan going now?

Zhao Guangcai: At present, the continuous rainy weather in Henan has basically ended. Agricultural and rural departments at all levels are actively organizing and coordinating harvesters and strengthening the dispatch of agricultural machinery. In addition to organizing harvesters in this area, they also guide and support cross-regional harvesters to operate across regions, creating conditions and providing convenience for the timely harvest of wheat.

All regions are seizing the sunny days after the rain to actively harvest wheat. We have now entered the peak period of wheat harvesting, and the harvested grains are being actively dried or aired.

The government has allocated special funds for drying wheat grains to ensure wheat quality, make every effort to minimize losses, and guarantee the income of wheat farmers.

Question: Why is the rain at this time called “bad rain”?

Zhao Guangcai: Field rot rain refers to the weather process in which large-scale continuous rain or heavy rain occurs during the wheat ripening and harvesting period, which prevents the harvester from entering the field to harvest normally, causing the wheat ears to germinate or the grains to become moldy.

Because this is the wheat harvest season, heavy rain or continuous rain at this time will cause the harvester to not be able to harvest normally, which is likely to cause the wheat ears to sprout. The harvested grains cannot be dried normally and piled up in the drying yard, which is likely to cause the grains to mold and deteriorate. This seriously affects the wheat harvest and grain quality. In addition to affecting the wheat harvest, the rainfall at this time often affects the drying of grains in the wheat drying yard, so it is called rotten field rain.

Q: How to deal with the "bad rain" during the wheat harvest season? How to harvest the wheat that has not been harvested yet? How to deal with the wheat that has been harvested?

Zhao Guangcai: When encountering a bad rain, the following measures need to be taken:

First, we actively coordinated and dispatched wheat harvesters. In addition to organizing harvesters in this area, we also actively accepted harvesters operating across regions to make mechanical preparations for timely wheat harvesting.

Second, for wheat fields with accumulated water, drainage channels should be cleared in time to drain water and reduce waterlogging, so that harvesting can be done as soon as possible when harvesters can enter the fields. For wheat fields that have been flooded, timely overall arrangements should be made to dispatch various appropriate types of harvesters, including wheeled harvesters and crawler harvesters, so that harvesting can be done as soon as possible.

Third, the harvested grains should be dried or air-dried in time to prevent or reduce mildew and minimize losses. For wheat that has sprouted, it should be dried and air-dried in time after harvest, and according to the degree of sprouting, it should be determined whether it can be used as edible food or feed, and handled separately to minimize losses.

Fourth, we will actively carry out the work of wheat collection and storage, so that wheat of qualified quality can be stored in warehouses as soon as possible.

Q: Will “rotten field rain” affect autumn sowing? What should be done?

Zhao Guangcai: For wheat in areas that have suffered from rotten fields this year, we must carefully select and prepare seeds for autumn sowing. For seed fields, in addition to routine removal of impurities and inferior products to ensure seed purity, we must also pay special attention to selecting grains that have not sprouted or become moldy, and dry them in time to ensure the germination rate of seeds, prepare qualified good varieties for autumn sowing, and ensure the quantity and quality of seeds used for autumn sowing, so as to prepare for next year's wheat harvest and lay a solid foundation.

Q: According to the Central Meteorological Observatory, the summer harvest areas in the next 10 days are mainly concentrated in the Huanghuai area, the southeastern part of the Northwest region and the southern part of North China. Overall, the weather in most areas is mainly sunny to cloudy, which is more conducive to timely harvesting and drying of wheat. However, there will still be a lot of rainfall in southern Shaanxi in early June. For farmers in southern Shaanxi and other wheat harvesting areas, what measures should be taken now?

Zhao Guangcai: As some areas may still experience rainfall in the near future, farmers should pay attention to weather forecasts at all times and harvest wheat in time when there is no rain. If there is water accumulation in the wheat fields, pay attention to clearing the channels in time to drain water and reduce waterlogging. When the harvester can enter the field, appropriately use wheeled harvesters or crawler harvesters for harvesting.

After harvest, the grains should be dried or dried in time to prevent or reduce mold and deterioration and reduce losses.

Q: Will the "rotten rain" affect this year's grain production? How to stabilize grain production in the next step? What are the remedial measures?

Zhao Guangcai: The areas that have experienced rotten field rain may have a certain impact on wheat yield, but more importantly, it affects the quality of wheat. In response to this year's rotten field rain, all regions should summarize their experience and make improvements in the selection of varieties and cultivation measures, select appropriate early-maturing and ear-germination resistant varieties, and provide reasonable cultivation measures to avoid rotten field rain and reduce losses.

At the same time, we need to increase the construction of drying equipment so that once we encounter rain, the damp grains can be dried in time to ensure the quality of the wheat.

We take a multi-faceted approach, make comprehensive plans, and establish a big picture view of grain, from seed preparation, to meticulous sowing, to scientific management, to timely harvesting, to safe storage, each link is closely linked and no step is missed to ensure food security.

Author: Song Yajuan

Scientific review: Zhao Guangcai, researcher at the Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and member of the wheat expert guidance group of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs